2014: Year in review and looking forward

It's New Year's Eve and at around this time we often take a look back at some of the stories we've covered during the past year. Many of our 2014 stories will have effects lasting into 2015 and beyond.

To start, it's time for the 2015 elections. We're covering wards 6, 9 and 21 for the 2015 elections and a number of candidates are running in those wards. We're also looking forward to the Mayoral race to see who might be able give Mayor Rahm Emanuel a run for his money.

Speaking of the mayoral race, Rahm would've faced a challenge in his CTU nemesis in Karen Lewis. The Greater Chatham Alliance Chat with Karen forum story in September garnered us at least 900 individual reads. Unfortunately it turned out that she's suffering an illness and was forced to drop from contention as a result.  We'll see who else would be favored instead of Rahm.

Also, back in the community, there was concern over debris left as the result of a fire near 75th/King Drive. While the debris was cleared from the southwest corner, the northeast corner also had a fire in November. The corner contained former Alderman Lyle's ward office and the closed Army & Lou's restaurant. A recent fire in late November now has the neighborhood wondering if there's an arsonist on the loose. Here's another story regarding the fire on the southeast corner of 75th/King Drive.

A major neighborhood financial institution in Seaway Bank & Trust Company has made some changes. This includes a change at CEO and on the bank's board of directors as a result of the bank taking a loss as a result of the acquisition of two failing banks. However, as a result of a restructuring team it turns out the bank actually made a profit. Also 2015 would mark the bank's 50th anniversary.

We're still talking about that Whole Foods Market coming to Englewood at 63rd/Halsted. Even going so far as looking for other retailers to join the Whole Foods there. We're still discussing the "dreaded G word" as Curbed Chicago discussed this development under the tag "gentrification watch".

The Chatham 14 Theaters after going through ownership changes starting in 2012 - from ICE Theaters to Michael Silver in early 2013 - has new owners in the emerging chain Studio Movie Grill. While renovations and a grand opening were scheduled for the past summer now it appears the expected grand opening is expected in winter 2015 according to the SMG website.

Also we talked about the alternative spring break. A group of Morehouse College students led by then graduating senior Corey Hardiman came to Chicago for a week of community service instead of going to much warmer climates for spring break. Hardiman announced his run for 9th ward Alderman but opted to withdraw from that race before circulating petitions.

Surprisingly, the most popular post of the year (and in fact, #4 in our 7 years of posts) was on Jim's Original closing down at 95th. That closing was precipitated by the reconstruction of CTA's 95th terminal. As of Dec. 1 , it garnered 4,411 views (not including those who saw it on a front page). If only our locally owned non-chains received such views ;) (Yes, that was commentary by JP Paulus)

St. Dorothy Elementary School a long standing institution is closing its doors after 50+ years. The school will be merged with St. Columbanus Elementary to form a new school Augustus Tolton, which will be housed in the former St. Columbanus. Augustus Tolton was the first African American bishop in the Catholic church. The move by the Chicago Archdiocese has not been received well by St. Dorothy members, school parents and some community leaders. The new archbishop, Blaise Cupich  has not addressed the group as they requested and has publicly stated the decision to merge is final. He has even gone to the extend to bless Augustus Tolton with Father Bob Miller and Father Matt O'Donnell. The question for 2015 will be,what is the future for St. Dorothy Church and school?

Also, the tragic incident from this summer, the shooting on 79th Evans that killed Chicago Public School teacher/Coordinator Betty Howard, PhD. A gang related dispute that had been brewing all summer spilled onto the streets and a street thug spraying bullets over the street attempting to hit a rival sent bullets through the real estate storefront at 79th Evans and hit Dr. Howard. There was a public outcry that brought a number of civic, business , and religious leaders into the community to discuss violence prevention. Who was not at the table were the community based organizations in the 6th ward. A number of commitments were made but as of yet have not been followed up on. In 2015 we will see if the commitments will be made and will they include local community based organizations. Along with how many community based organizations will survive 2015.

Have we missed anything? Feel free to let us know! Also let us know what you're looking forward to in 2015.

Happy election day 2014!!!

I voted early today and when leaving my local precinct recieved one of these palm cards from a petition collector for 9th Ward Alderman Anthony Beale. So these are the horses he's picking for today. Polls today don't close until 7 PM so hopefully many of you will make it to your precinct by 7!

Hopefully we will know for sure which of these candidates especially at the top of the ticket will reign victorious!

Republican Jim Oberweis to speak in Englewood

Jim Oberweis will be speaking at a community center in Englewood on Halloween. Oberweis who has been making appearances on the south side in his effort to unseat US Sen. Dick Durbin in next month's general election. We got this information recently via e-mail:

• Meeting at community center
  6855 South Emerald
  Chicago, IL.
  773-504-2125 or 773-253-5989
  1pm
  Thank you very much

If anyone has anything to add to this information please feel free to add with a comment or send an e-mail to us.

Did you see last nights governor's debate?

Yesterday I noted GOP candidate for governor Bruce Rauner visited Flecks Coffee on Tuesday - watch this Early & Often [VIDEO]. This was before a debate with Gov. Pat Quinn that aired on CBS 2 last night. If you missed you will be able to see it at the end of this post.

The debate held at the DuSable Museum on Cottage Grove was geared towards Black voters.

I wanted to provide two posts from the Capitol Fax to analyze the recent debate.

• Post-debate spinning - Every candidate after a debate will attempt to paint themselves in the best light
• Some riveting TV -As for this one at the end of this post the discussion was regarding Gov. Quinn's body language

If you saw last night's debate or even if you're just now watching it today, let us know what you think. Who won this debate? Would this influence how you would vote next month on Election Day?

[VIDEO] of the debate is below

Voting info for the November elections...

Via the Chicago Board of Elections

The deadline to register to vote is October 7, 2014 for the November 4, 2014 general election.

Early voting will be open October 20 to November 1, 2014. Open Monday thru Saturday 9 AM to 5 PM at select sites around the city. Five regional sites will have different hours during this period as well.

There will also be "grace period" voting as well after October 7 thru to election day on November 4. What this means is that you will be able to register or change your voter registration information however you will have to vote the same day you register or change information.

Also if you plan to vote on election day this page will allow you to get info on where your polling place will be on November 4.

Finally, here's information on absentee voting for the Nov. 4 elections.

We will continue to share information as we get close to November 4th and as it comes time to consider next year's municipal elections.

Some corrections regarding the "Grand Old Party" on 79th Street

Jim Oberweis in red shirt on 79th Street Thursday - DNA Info

A statement was forwarded to us by Republican US Senate nominee Jim Oberweis regarding our recent post about the opening of a GOP office in Chatham. Mark Konkol wrote in his DNA Info article that I excerpted that state Senator Oberweis was wearing a shirt bearing the logo of the City Club of Chicago.

FYI, I am not, and never have been, a member of the Chicago Club, nor do I have a shirt with the Chicago Club logo on it.  I tried to post a comment in response to this article but could not.  Can anyone tell me who wrote it?

Jim Oberweis

Well, if you're looking for me to verify this - especially since I didn't attend this event - sorry I can't. The pictures don't show the shirt in question clearly. I'm including the picture provided with the DNA Info article also posted on Saturday and Worlee's pictures shared on the FB page:

Post by The Sixth Ward.

Now it makes me wonder why Konkol thought Oberweis was wearing a City Club shirt. And why create an association between the two? We probably know why, but the state Senator wants us to know he's not associated with them at all. If you ask me it doesn't bother me at all, but I realize someone may take issue with it regardless.

Here is a further correction via e-mail by 6th Ward GOP Committeeman Darnell Macklin: "The chairs were stacking chairs, not folding chairs......and the food was a platter(s) consisting of chicken wings, shrimp, vegetable puffs, onion rings, fish, and a vegetable tray."

And also noted in some of the comments of Konkol's article, there was more to eat than chicken wings at this event. There's more to what happened at this event than was has been written so far.

I'm going to post a link to this post to that earlier one about this event.

An old van and a deposit at a south side credit union...

[VIDEO] I know what you're probably thinking. Why am I showing this Republican and his old van shown in this recent campaign ad (via CapFax)?

The answer is that on Friday he drove that 20-year-old Volkswagen van to the South Side Community Federal Credit Union to drop $1 million dollars into that financial institution. To be more precise a $200,000 donation, and a $800,000 deposit.

Rauner says $200,000 is a donation to a related foundation and $800,000 was deposited in an account. The money will be used for small business loans. Rauner says he'll earn a small percentage of interest.

Better yet, how about we see WLS' Charles Thomas report on this on TV and in fact you will see him drive up into the shopping center near 54th/Wentworth where the credit union is located.

DNA Info: Guess Who's Throwing a Grand Ol' Party In Chicago's Black Community?

UPDATE Sept. 8, 2014 12:12 PM - Corrections post can be seen here - Levois

Jim Oberweis (red shirt) on 79th St. on Thursday - DNAinfo/ Mark Konkol

We shared with you earlier this week about the opening of a local Republican office in the 6th ward on 511 East 79th Street earlier in the week. That event occurred this past Thursday and right in time for the gubernatorial campaign which I believe will be as close as the 2010 election.

All the same this DNA Info article by Mark Konkol well I'm not sure how to read it. He is clearly incredulous that the GOP is opening an actual office on the south side. Either way there is a theory behind this development:

So Jahmal Cole runs into Jim Oberweis at Abbott Park the other day

[VIDEO] Jahmal Cole - the driving force behind My Block My Hood My City - has been touring the city's public parks for the last 11 weeks. Recently he arrived at Abbott Park near 95th/State. Mainly in his espiodes he plays basketball or engages in some sort of sport (such as soccer or bike polo) at various parks and at Abbott it was certainly basketball.

You never know who is truly walking around in the community. On this day Cole had a chance to speak with Republican US Senate nominee Jim Oberweis - also a current state Senator - who discusses his ideas on school reform. So a US Senate candidate comes to Abbott Park to talk education policy and probably to campaign.

If Cole continues his series who else could he run into. It's still election season up until November at least. Could he run into current US Sen. Dick Durbin or Gov. Pat Quinn or Bruce Rauner?

Unfortunately, Abbott Park was the 11th park in this series so where else will Cole venture to next. All the same you should buy yourself one of his T-shirts and other products available from his store. At least a t-shirt based on the one above.

CapitolFax: Black activist pastor endorses Oberweis

Jim Oberweis left & Rev. Corey Brooks right via Chicago Tribune

We've kept an eye on Rev. Corey Brooks who for 90 days in 2012 lived on a rooftoop of a former hotel in a bid to successfully purchase the property has announced his support for GOP US Senate candidate Jim Oberweis who current serves in the Illinois state Senate. Oberweis faces Democratic US Sen. Dick Durbin. I will give Oberweis credit for coming to the community this past weekend volunteering for Rev. Brooks' anti-crime program #BrothersOnTheBlock.

Would this make a difference in who you'd vote for in November for US Senate?

So yesterday we had an election...

Normally we would be all over a coming election although I feel we didn't cover yesterday's primary election at least didn't provide many lead-up posts. To be honest, there weren't many surprises especially in many of our local elections. Most of the people up for election especially at the top of the ballot have no one running against them and at that no one from the Republican Party or others parties running against them with a few exceptions - for example State Rep. Elgie Sims had no Democratic opponents however he will have a Republican running against him.

All the same we learned from Greg Hinz that turnout was low yesterday at least throughout Cook County and in Chicago:

In Cook County, County Clerk David Orr said that selected precincts that allow him to instantly break down ballots by party indicate that, by early afternoon, 14,300 Republicans had cast ballots to 10,700 Democrats. The GOP portion of the total is higher, but the actual number of Republican ballots cast may be no higher than usual.

Overall, Mr. Orr said, turnout may hit 25 percent of registered voters, a "fairly low" figure.

That's a lot better than in the city, where Board of Elections spokesman Jim Allen said "a real last-minute tide" will be needed to hit even 20 percent turnout. Based on trends in early voting, "we don't see a pattern of crossover," he added, with Democrats taking Republican ballots, as some union leaders has urged.

So in Cook County while Republican turnout is likely at it's normal levels, more Republicans turned out for this election that Democrats. More voted pulled Republican ballots than Democrats. Interesting, but what accounts for it?

Well, it was partially answered in the above quote. However, I get the feeling there weren't many competitive races throughout the city yesterday. Unfortunately in the city the Democratic primary is the main election to watch if there is competition there then whoever wins can expect to get elected to office.

Well all the same perhaps there isn't enough of a trend this time around, but perhaps we may see different numbers in November. If only I could compare the numbers for the 2010 primaries vs. this years primaries and the same for November 2010 to November 2014.

GCA March meeting with candidates for Cook County Commissioner

This was an announcement courtesy of an e-mail blast from the Greater Chatham Alliance.

As many of you know, Early Voting for the March 18, 2014 Primary Election started on:

Monday, March 3rd and continues through Saturday, March 15th.

However, GCA is placed to announce that at our March 15th meeting at St. James Lutheran Church (8000 S. Michigan) at 11 am, we will be holding an:

Informal "Meet & Greet" with the Democratic candidates for the Cook County Commissioner, 4th District seat.

As most of you know, this is the former seat of former Commissioner William Beavers.

All three (3) candidates confirmed attendance. They are:

• Appointed Cook County Commissioner, Stanley Moore
• Candidate Robert R. McKay
• Candidate Nick Smith

This is your opportunity to learn more about the candidates, their positions on issues affecting our community, and why they feel they are the most suitable for this office.

There will be a question and answer period after each candidate's presentation.

And guess what? You will still have plenty of time to vote early on Saturday if you choose to. Check out the following information.

The 6th Ward Early Voting Location is:

• Whitney Young Library
  7901 S. M. L. King Jr. Dr.
  Monday thru Saturday: 9 am to 5 pm

Voters registered in the City of Chicago may use any Early Voting site in the city, regardless of where the voters live.

Voters don't need a reason or excuse to use Early Voting -- but voters do need to present government-issued photo identification.

Click this link to see other Early Voting Locations:
http://www.chicagoelections.com/page.php?id=9

A flyer for a Cook County judicial candidate

Some of us got some flyers hanging on our doors and gates. The flyer you see above was attached to a door hanger that advertized candidates for Water Reclamation District, however we shall see that sometime in the future.

This flyer is for a judicial candidate, you see Neville vacancy on the flyer however most of us who are unfamiliar with the judicial system in Cook County probably has no idea what this means. Well according to the blog For What It's Worth, William "Bill" Raines is seeking a countywide judicial office.

And you can visit his campaign website www.billrainesforjudge.com

EVENT: Meet the candidates forum...

Candidates forum Saturday March 1 from 12:00 PM to 3:00 PM location is House of Hope located at 752 East 114th St. A number of local politicians were invited and three candidates for governor were invited to attend as well. More information is in the flyer below!

It's campaign season so here's a flyer for you...

Click for larger resolution

JP noted on the FB page that current 4th District County Commissioner Stanley Moore has several opponents on the ballot for next months primary election. Here's a flyer for one of his opponents - Mr. Nick Smith. You might know him from the Roseland Heights neighborhood where he was the past president of the community association and I do believe he was also associated with former 6th Ward Alderman Freddrenna Lyle. Feel free to visit his website www.electnicksmith.com

Ward Room: Aldermen Back Referendum for $15 Minimum Wage

Do you agree with this?

Saying it’s “time to act”, a group of Chicago aldermen, along with advocacy groups, low-wage workers and community members, are backing a set of city referendums on the March 18 ballot calling for a higher minimum wage.

All eight members of the City Council’s Progressive Reform Coalition, along with Aldermen Joe Moreno (1), Will Burns (4) and Jason Ervin (28), are backing the measure. Last year, a coalition of advocacy groups worked to place a non-binding referendum on the March ballot to establish a minimum wage in Chicago.

The referendum asks if the city should require a minimum wage of $15 per hour for employees of companies with an annual gross revenues in excess of $50 million.

Together, the aldermen and advocates argue that a higher wage is needed for working families to survive on the kinds of minimum wage jobs that prevalent throughout the economy and are often the primary or only option for workers.

Currently, a full-time minimum wage worker in Chicago only earns $17,000 a year, while a majority of Chicago’s low-wage workers are over the age of 30 and over half live in households receiving all of their income from low-wage jobs, according to a 2012 report by the Women Employed and Action Now Institute.

ABC 7: GOP Governor primary race heating up

[VIDEO] Speaking of Bruce Rauner - a Republican candidate for Governor who will be at a meet & greet at Luversia's on Jan. 20th - it appears his comments regarding a minimum wage has made the GOP primary more of a contest. He had been forced to backtrack from his statement where he apparently supported decreasing the minimum wage to the federal level.

The ABC7Chicago video you see above shows other Republican candidates such as Kirk Dillard & 2010 GOP nominee for Governor state Sen. Bill Brady take some swipes at Rauner. Mainly over the minimum wage flap and Dillard became the next Republican governor candidate to make a stop on the south side. As you see in the video he was at a services of Sweet Holy Spirit Church @ 8621 S. South Chicago Avenue.

BTW, Rich Miller of the CapFax noted that while Rauner has made some contradictory statements with regards to his position on the minimum wage so had Dillard. Dillard had stated himself that minimum wage should be set by the market, however, he too attempted to moderate his position on this issue.

So now, when will Sen. Brady and state Treasurer Rutherford will make their appearances on the south side. Not long before the 2010 elections Brady held a press conference on the site of the Chatham Market Walmart on 83rd Street to launch his jobs tour.

BTW, here's a tweet of Dillard speaking at Sweet Holy Spirit which does contain a photo

Enjoyed Sunday service at Church of the Sweet Holy Spirit. Thank you Bishop Trotter for having me & your support! pic.twitter.com/GTD87gs6uB
— Kirk Dillard (@KirkDillard) January 13, 2014

Meet & greet at Luversia's

It's not often that we advertise Republican events but here's one of interest for those of you who like to attend political events in our community.

The 6th Ward Republican Organization and Black Conservatives of America host a Meet and Greet to introduce:

• HONOREE: Jack Roeser 
• Keynote Speaker:  Bruce Rauner

We will also be introducing General Assembly Candidates........Fatimah Macklin, 34th;
Antonio Mannings, 2nd; Tondalaya Nelson, 6th and U.S. Congressional Candidates..........Jimmy Lee Tillman, 1st District, Diane Harris, 3rd District and David E. Williams, 9th District.

LOCATION:  Luversia's Restaurant
                     524 East 79th Street
                     Chicago, IL

DATE:           Monday, 20 January 2012

TIME:            6PM to 8:30PM

Appetizers and cash bar

Please RSVP to 6thwardgop@gmail.com by Tuesday, 14 January 2014 

So Bruce Rauner is coming to our community! He's the first Republican gubernatorial candidate that we know of who's making a stop nearby. Recently on the campaign trail he's been taking a beating on his thoughts on the minimum wage at first it seemed that he wanted to lower Illinois' to the federal limit and then he backtracked. It's not going away either.

Well, perhaps in the future there are other Republicans in our state who may consider a stop in the 6th Ward to make their case.

2013: Year in review

Looking back at the year that was and looking forward to the year that will be.

2013 started off with a special election for Jesse Jackson's old congressional seat. He had resigned after his re-election in 2012 as a result of a federal investigation into his campaign finances. Jackson later pled guilty and sentenced to 30 months in prison and is currently serving his sentence.

BTW, his wife  former 7th Ward Alderman Sandi Jackson also plead guilty to federal charges involving her husband's campaign finances and is expected to serve her sentence of one year after Jesse Jr. completes his sentence. She also had resigned from her Chicago City Council seat.

In connection with that, State Senator Donne Trotter was one of the early aspirants to succeed Jesse Jr. in the 2013 special election until he had been charged with having a gun at O'Hare. One of our more popular postings of the year showed that he took a plea deal in connection with this incident. Before the plea deal he was forced to drop out of the 2nd Congressional district race that was ultimately won by Robin Kelly.

There were some other changes to the political scene on this part of town. Jesse Jr. and his wife Sandi weren't the only ones to go down thanks to federal charges. Former Alderman and Cook County Commissioner Bill Beavers vacated his office as a result of a guilty verdict for tax evasion in federal court. He was ultimately replaced by current Commissioner Stanley Moore.

If you read Worlee's post over at Concerned Citizen's of Chatham we see that there were some success stories in Chatham in 2013. New businesses opened such as Louis Groceries & Fleck's Coffee and also a new garden at 82nd & King Drive as well as Ruggles School being taken off probation. However there were still some negatives such as some new businesses not surviving and continuing conflict among the community organizations.

Also the Red Line underwent not only a reconstruction but a makeover as well. Many stations along the Dan Ryan branch of the Red Line got new elevators for the handicapped. It was closed between May and October of 2013 with promises of faster and more reliable service. During those five months affected Red Line passengers took advantage of free shuttle buses to trains at Garfield on the CTA Green Line. That in addition to a .50 cent fare discount for bus rides south of 63rd Street. In addition to the closure and reopening of the CTA Red Line we're looking forward to 2014 is the start of the reconstruction of the 95th Street terminal which will remain open for its duration!

Also with 2012 ending at the Chatham 14 with the original owners ICE Theaters being unceremoniously evicted. 2013 started with our neighborhood movie house under new ownership and management. Many of the people who worked there and many in our communities are familiar with remain employed there. Over the holiday season they played host to a coat drive and a food/toy drive. Also any movie played there are now viewed in digital projection.

Over in Englewood, we've heard about Kusanya Cafe over the years and it's finally open for business. Also Whole Foods Market is expected to open in 2016 at the corner of 63rd & Halsted. The public opinion is basically anywhere from concern over the "dreaded G word" or how this could be a positive especially a new place to shop or more jobs. Still there were certainly concerns over whether or not Englewood residents can afford to shop there although the current plans are to sell items that are affordable at that location.

Also let's not forget the fight over a railyard expansion in Englewood. Many were active in fighting Norfolk Southern Railroad's attempt to buy off the many property owners in the area they sought to expand their railyard. Ultimately after some apparent concessions, the project was approved by the Chicago Plan Commission.

Speaking of retail, there's a new Walmart Supercenter in Chicago. It opened in the Pullman neighborhood in September. At the last minute direct bus service was implemented into the shopping center where the Walmart resides.

In any event, what shall we look forward to as we enter into the year 2014 here on the south side of Chicago. Also any stories you think we should add to the stories of the year 2013?

Todd Stroger didn't file for county board seat

I shared this article on the FB page recently with this comment: "My goodness Mr. Stroger you make noises but fail to pull the trigger. What's going on man? Do you want back in the game or not?"

You want to know why?

He said he was intending to run for William Beavers' 4th District seat. That seat is currently being held by Stanley Moore. The deadline to file petitions for office was Monday at 5 p.m. and Stroger did not file. 

Todd Stroger was of course the former County Board President who was succeeded by Toni Preckwinkle after his primary defeat in 2010. He also had made noises about running for Jesse Jackson Jr.'s old 2nd Congressional District but did file for that office.

It just makes you wonder, why make noise if you're not serious in the first place.

PREVIOUS POST: Sun-Times: Todd Stroger running for County Board seat 

BTW, pic in the upper left hand corner is from Todd Stroger's blog and he didn't seem to write on it much during his one term as county board president. For those who remembered it, who knows if he actually wrote on the blog or it was odd satire.